Bug#395959: APR/MySQL
Hi,
Joachim has just drawn my attention to this report.
I am the original developer of the MySQL driver,
and it was originally my decision to license it under
the GPL. I'm also director of WebThing, and a member
of the Apache Software Foundation (though not, in this
message, speaking in an official capacity).
I'm not dogmatic about the licensing, and I'd be
happy for it to change if it helps, subject to
the constraints of the other licenses involved.
Originally I'd have been more dogmatic about it,
because apr_dbd_mysql released under the Apache
license seems to risk undermining MySQL's GPL rights,
and I didn't want to be responsible for that.
However, MySQL AB has made it clear that they are
happy to live with that: indeed, they explicitly
name APR and the Apache license at
http://www.mysql.com/company/legal/licensing/foss-exception.html
So the sticking point is no longer the GPL, but rather
ASF policy, which does not permit us to distribute anything
that would impose restrictions on our users, over and above
those in the Apache License. The ASF takes the view that
to take advantage of MySQL's exception risks leaving our
users in limbo. That clearly doesn't apply to Debian:
your primary license is after all the GPL.
A quick google reveals that some Linux distros have
apr_dbd_mysql as a separate (RPM) package, and have presumably
built apr-util to enable dynamic loading of a DBD driver.
This seems to me an excellent solution.
I hope Debian will see a way to make this available for
your users. If I can help, please ask.
--
Nick Kew
Application Development with Apache - the Apache Modules Book
http://www.apachetutor.org/
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